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Fake drink scam Nelson lawyer banned

A LAWYER from Nelson who became embroiled in an international energy drinks scam has been banned from practising as a solicitor by his professional watchdog.

Majed Iqbal, 33, was jailed for five years in January 2013 after being convicted of paying off witnesses in a £300,000 fake beverages conspiracy.

His case was referred by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for a full hearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) in November.

He was accused, as a result of his Hull Crown Court conviction, of acting contrary of his requirements to uphold the rule of law and the proper administration of justice and/or act with integrity and/or behave in a way that maintains the trust the public placed in him and/or the provision of legal services.

Iqbal, formerly of Elizabeth Street, was working for the Bradford firm Petherbridge Passa, before the conspiracy, over a bogus ‘Duracell’ drink, came to light.

Following the case, an SDT spokesman said: “The tribunal issued a prohibition order, prohibiting Mr Iqbal from having his named restored to the Roll of Solicitors, except by order of the tribunal.”

This punishment applies to solicitors who have had their names removed from the roll, before an SDT hearing, and prevents them from practising again, without the tribunal’s permission.

The full judgement in his case is not available for around seven weeks.

Iqbal was representing Bradford nightclub mogul Yasar Hussain, who had approached Procter and Gamble, the trademark holder for Duracell, with the idea of an energy drink based on the brand.

But despite being knocked back by the firm, he embarked on a marketing campaign which included flying out to an international food fair in Dubai to win over customers.

Iqbal was said to have approached witnesses in the case to ‘buy their silence’, in exchanges which were captured on video clips seized from him at Manchester Airport.